On six Sundays over the Summer months Wilton House near Salisbury open their gates and fill their impressive entrance area and courtyard with a themed based collection of cars from all eras driven in by local motoring enthusiasts.

On a sunny morning without a cloud in the sky and the theme of a ‘roof down rendezvous’ I decided to head over to Wilton for the first time to see what takes place at a wake up event.

There was a good selection of soft-tops from a vintage Vauxhall to several modern McLaren’s and even a couple of WWII Jeeps, but within half an hour of arriving the skies were clouding over so it did not take much to start the exodus especially with rumours of rain on the way. Drivers quickly put soft tops up or covers on, climbed in to their cars and quietly drifted away. Before you knew it the courtyard was all but empty and I found myself, within an hour of arriving, at a Wilton wake up that was all over for the day.

It is one of those car gatherings that is probably always going to be limited by the size of the location but at the same time will continue to be well supported because of Lord Pembroke’s well know personal passion for cars and that the whole event is aimed at raising money for local charities. If you are in the area early on a Sunday when a Wilton wake up takes place it is worth stopping in especially as the public car park can contain a few motoring gems too but also to help support a local charity by casting a donation in to a collection bucket at the gates.